Day 1 - Paris: Raining on my promenade.

A quick word: I'm incredibly tired and am attempting to type a longwinded blogpost on a device intended for Angry Birds, Facebook, and mobile porn consumption. So needless to say, yet I feel compelled to state so anyway, the conditions for writing this blog could be considerably better. Corrections are appreciated and encouraged. On with the blog!

It wasn't obvious to me until my first night in Paris that our time zones are so different, a nine hour difference. This disparity makes it especially challenging when you're trying to go to sleep at 3am; which translates to 4pm PST, in a strange place, with an unconscious person below you whose only possession that you know of is a ratty old necktie strewn across their bed. Lesson learned: alter your sleep schedule before you arrive or bring drugs to knock you out. I would have gladly thrown down 30 Euro for a bottle of NyQuil or for someone to put me in a sleeper-hold. Sleep, even bad sleep, is underrated when you're traveling.

This being my first morning abroad I was a bit slow to get moving and missed the free provided breakfast so I snacked on some Milano cookies I smuggled over until I could find something slightly more substantial. Settling for a plain croissant and espresso I sat on the front patio and indulged in some people-watching. The neighborhood I selected for my first night was chosen because it was far enough from the tourist areas that everyone I saw was a local. This spot provided me the best sample of a Parisean morning commute.

One of the key sights that I had planned on seeking out (per Rick Steves' recommendation) was Promenade Plantée, an old railway that starts near Opera Bastille which is where the old rail station used to lie. (The Bastille station was demolished in 1984.) Google Maps sent me to the halfway point which wasn't a big deal as I was concerned my walk would be cut short by the impending rain. I managed to wander along the lush green paths with all of my belongings on my back for as long as I could before the rain and cold became unbearable. Not once did I see another tourist which was incredible, I had found what I was looking for....I will definitely be back.

 

Using Google Maps on my iPhone I charted a course to my next hostel, "Oops Hostel". (A fitting name considering the nature of my trip.) I was greeted warmly at the check-in desk but was told I couldn't check-in until 4pm due to the rooms being cleaned. To kill some time until check-in I stashed my main bag in the luggage room and sought out to grab a more substantial meal and get more familiar with the surrounding area.

I returned to the hostel, went to the room, and started to unpack. Moments later my first new roommate entered, "Romy", a woman in her mid 20's who was on vacation from her life as an accountant in Argentina. As she painted her nails on her bunk we got talking about our trips, occupations, homeland, and aspirations. Towards the end of our conversation our other two roommates arrived, Dillan of Minneapolis and Johan of Qubec. Shortly after their arrival Romy and I finished our discussion so Johan and I could go find a bite to eat at the nearby Indian-Pakistani restaurant.

That evening after bed we had an unexpected visitor. Someone had gotten a key to our room, looked around and then left. After a few minutes the phone rang. The front desk was calling to request that everyone in the room come down and identify themselves claiming that "someone does not belong." I responded somewhat hostilely (there's a pun for you Mr. Elmore) and told him that I would come down and sort out any matter. Romy insisted that she come along so the two of us went down. As it turned out, the man on shift had assigned the wrong room to someone. (The men on staff here are pretty clueless and unfortunately dominate the night shift.) Romy and I shared a frustrated laugh on the escalator and went back to bed.

Frustration and excitement coupled with me still adjusting to the new time zone resulted in yet another sleepless night. Hopefully I'll have the stamina required for tomorrow to wade through the torrential downpour and sea of tourists.

Miscellaneous photos from today:

 

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